Roxie the Wonder Schnoodle update

She made huge progress this weekend. We went to see our (yes, our) trainer Robin for a 1:1 session last weekend and she gave me a big list of things to work on with the RoxStar. The items Robin gave me to focus on are to help Roxie gain confidence in both herself and me. We’re supposed to be practicing stuff from class 30 minutes a day and we definitely have been doing less (about half that), but I have been doing the things she suggested in our 1:1: make R sit and wait while I walk out of or into a door (not walking into the door, but you know, through the door), make her do 3 training skills before she can eat, come from room to room with me (she’s reluctant to do that without being on a leash) and stuff like that.

I also picked up a Thundershirt for her (Roxie not Robin). A bunch of people I work with recently started discussing them and said that they help a lot with doggy anxiety. Apparently, the shirt wraps kinda tightly around the dog’s belly & chest and this helps them feel more secure. A woman I met this weekend said that they do something similar with autistic children. Huh.

Some folks from Australia that I work with had the day to kill in Seattle on Saturday before their flight home, so the two of them, Roxie & I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. It’s about a 35 minute ferry ride and then a 5 minute walk into the town of Winslow. It is a great opportunity for pix of the Seattle skyline & it’s also a nice ride and town.

Roxie was wearing her Thundershirt – click to see it better & please note that she’s also wearing a geek pin cause she’s a geeky doggy.

She was fine when we parked in Seattle – noise, traffic, people didn’t bother her at all. Actually, she was kinda giddy in a way she’s only been in my backyard. She is apparently a city dog. The quiet of my neighborhood must be unnerving her.

She was fine on the ferry and let strangers approach & pet her all day. It was kinda remarkable. There was a brief period when Aleks from Australia took her out of the knitting & tea shop where I was purchasing some yummy Rooibos Ginger tea (can’t find it anywhere else – even on the interwebs) and she didn’t like that at all. Her tail was way between her legs until I came outside. But still, overall, she was happy and relaxed and had a good time. It was really nice to see.

Today it’s grey & raining – it’s like a winter day here. It’s in the 50s and everything (that’s pretty much what our winter is like). Since Roxie came from southern California, this is a new thing for her. She walked outside this morning & immediately turned around and walked back in. I guess she’d rather “hold everything in” instead of getting wet. Hmmmm…

We went to the store at lunchtime and got her a nice raincoat. For some reason, I’ve been getting her pink things. She just seems very girly – she crosses her legs and everything. She did better going outside with the raincoat on, but is still kinda suspicious of the rain, which kinda amuses me.

If you’re interested, there’s a few more pix I’ve taken of her at http://amygeek.smugmug.com/. I’m her personal paparazzi.

New York's Water Filled With Invisible Shrimp

New York's water is some of the most delicious in the land, and it's filled with microscopic shrimp.

They're called copepods. This is one a guy took photos of under a microscope after H&E staining the sample. They're 1-2 mm long, transparent, have two sets of antenna, and feast on mosquito larvae.

What are they doing in the water supply? Well, New York's water
is of such high quality that it isn't required by the EPA to mechanically filter its H2O, which means you get to gulp down these cute little guys with every glassful. Bottoms up!

Look what I found in my tap water! [Reddit via Gizmodo]

RELATED: NYC Water [Ourkosher.org]

Um - that's for everyone who makes fun of me for always drinking mineral water in NYC. I prefer to see my seafood when I’m eating it.

How to confuse the right

Show up at the Glenn Beck rally dressed as a pregnant demon & carry a sign saying “I want a sandwich”.

And that’s what someone from brightestyoungthings.com did this weekend. Here’s a snippet of their report:

And so it was, providence came in the form of a variety of delicious, home-made sandwiches. If thou asketh, thou shalt receiveth. We have to admit that there was an element of surprise on our part, the kindness of (some) strangers apparently not just located in the (bleeding) hearts of liberals. We made a count of what we received while carrying around the "I Want Sandwiches" sign:

• 11 prayers for our eternal salvation
• 4 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• 1 peanut butter and honey sandwich
• 5 ham sandwiches (two of which were made with real ham, right off the bone, the other three were deli meat)
• 7 turkey sandwiches (one of which was on some sort of a ciabatta bread with goat cheese, dashing all preconceived notions of TeaPartiers)
• 1 verbal threat of a pummeling (guy was very, very angry)
• 2 granola bars
• 2 hot dogs
• 2 bottles of water
• 1 Minute Maid frozen lemonade

We left out the angry, hate filled rants that we received, there were too many to count. But the fact is, we got so many sandwiches from Tea Party folks that we couldn't even carry them all. At one point we had to stop and jettison a few of the heavier sandwiches. Here's a tip. Ducks are partial to peanut butter and honey sandwiches on organic wheat bread. Something about that particular type of grub makes them go crazy.

Ciabatta?

Goat Cheese?

Granola bars?

Organic wheat bread?

Sounds kinda hippy to me. Hypocrites. Here’s the whole story (and lots of pix).

I want you inside me.

via soberinanightclub.com

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Dancing Merengue Dog < only watch if you want a big smile on your face

via youtube.com

That is one seriously amazing dog.

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The greatness of a nation & its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated (Gandhi)

via m.friendfeed-media.com

Amygeek adds: And how it treats its poorest citizens.

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Oh my

Could this possibly be real?

Doggy humor

Gay Culture in West Point’s Shadows

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Code words, secret societies, covert meetings, fake identities: these are tools that a certain set of cadets learn here at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

These cadets are not spies or moles. They are gay, and they exist largely in the shadows of this granite institution known for producing presidents and generals, where staying closeted is essential to avoid discharge under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

via nytimes.com

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Harassing the harassers

You know I have a thing about the Westboro Baptist Church people – you know the “God Hates Fags” people who protest at US soldier’s funerals.

Well this guy (Brick Stone) showed up and asked them questions about their beliefs. It’s entertaining. But they are evil.

“Vices” that are good for you

I like this article. So many of my friends push themselves really hard and don’t stop and do anything nice for themselves. Sometimes it’s good just to sit down and do something “naughty”. This article from cnn.com talks about things we sometimes put into the “naughty” category that actually are beneficial including:

1. Sleep: "Sleep is free and has virtually zero health drawbacks, making it the one treat no one should skimp on. Pillow time gives you energy, bolsters your immune system, boosts your memory, and even helps you get (or stay) slim."

2. Taking the Day Off: "Studies confirm that time off -- whether on a trip out of Dodge or a 24-hour staycation -- relieves stress, lowering your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease."

3. Sex: "Having sex releases feel-good endorphins and oxytocin, the hormone that promotes attachment... Another plus: Subjects in one study who did it once or twice a week had higher levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A, which shields you from colds and other infections."

To read the entire article, go here.

Roxie stuff

She’s doing pretty well, but she is still getting spooked really easily. Here’s some video showing how she plays with a ball – she doesn’t really understand the whole “fetch” thing:

My Hero, Jon to the Stew

Fox News blew a gasket about corporations donating to the Obama campaign and the Democratic Party. I wonder what they have to say about their corporate owner, News Corp, donating one million dollars to the Republican Governors Association.

From the Washington Post:

News Corp., which also owns the New York Post, Wall Street Journal and Times of London, said in a statement that the company "believes in the power of free markets, and the RGA's pro-business agenda supports our priorities at this most critical time for our economy." Two RGA spokesmen did not return messages.

My hero, Jon Stewart, takes them on:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
News Corp. Gives Money to Republicans
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

You know he’s my imaginary boyfriend, right? He’s dreamy…

Marcel: the shell with shoes on

Strange & funny. Right up my alley.

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

Heh

A Short Film About Words Using Very Few Words

via mentalfloss.com

so worth the 3 minutes of your day.

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Ground Zero and the Mosque

map from azspot



For those of you who aren't familiar with downtown Manhattan, please note that the "Ground Zero Mosque" is a) a community center and b) not at the WTC site at all. Also, there's an existing mosque that predated the towers four blocks from the WTC site. How far is far enough to be respectful? Is the existing mosque ok? How does one determine how many city blocks are required for respect?

Famous Faces

These are brilliant! Thanks Volker!

Go here to see them all.

NSFW Typeface

It’s called the “Effing Typeface” and you can see all of it here.

Cheapest days to shop online

Interesting – I had no idea that prices tended to move in such an organized manner across websites. From a Yahoo site:

We already know some of the best shopping deals are found online - but did you know some days are better than others to find the steepest discounts? ShopItToMe.com, which scours sales at more than 100 online retailers, ran a survey for me showing what days of the week certain categories of items carry the biggest discounts. Their data was compiled between June 2009 and June 2010 and analyzed over 1 million sale items on the web. From sunglasses to bathing suits to handbags and menswear, they got me the inside scoop.

My advice is to read this through, click print and keep the list stored by your computer as a helpful reminder next time you want to shop on the Web.

• Mondays: Best for buying men’s and women’s dress pants. The average sale is about 48 percent off.
• Mondays: Also great for purchasing sunglasses. The average discount is 55 percent.
• Tuesdays: Best for buying men’s apparel. The average discount is 42 percent.
• Wednesdays: Find lowest prices on shoes. The average discount is 38 percent.
• Wednesdays: Also find best deals on kids’ clothing. The average discount is around 40 percent.
• Thursdays: Best for buying women’s handbags. The average discount is 36 percent.
• Fridays: Biggest sales on accessories like jewelry, belts and scarves. The average discount is 42 percent.
• Saturdays: Best sales on intimates (37 percent off) and jackets/outerwear (51 percent off).
• Sundays: Buy your swimsuits for an average 52 percent off!

Some other online shopping tips …

Search for More Discounts

Dozens of sites like RetailMeNot and Bargainist collect promotional codes for discounts on Web purchases. To find them on your own, try Googling the name of the shopping site with the words “coupon code”  or “promotion code.”

Avoid Shipping and Return Costs

Many retailers offer free shipping promotions from time to time or have thresholds at which they’ll ship for free.  But, some of my favorite online shops such as Endless, RevolveClothing, Shopbop, and Piperlime, always offer free shipping.

Search Twitter

Many retailers are announcing special deals to their Twitter and Facebook followers. Be sure to follow the retailers you frequent to find out as soon as a deal is announced.

Yummy & funny

First of all, Modern Family is a very funny show. Second of all, look at her. Third of all, she’s funny. Trifecta.

Hipster Daily Affirmation

via buzzfeed.com

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Back to basics

So I need to focus (again) on being financially responsible. I know – in general I am. My car is paid off, I pay my credit cards off every month & my only debt is my house (which I’m refinancing down 1 full point and to a 20 year loan, which rocks).

But I am not a very good saver. And in the past year, I went through a lot of money for a variety of reasons that I’m not going to post on the interwebs. I had lunch with my friend Robert on Monday and he gave me some great advice and got me motivated. I had been mulling over that I needed to get it together again, but he definitely got me rolling.

I made sure that I’m maxing out my 401K (I was) and enrolled in the employee stock purchase program to max that out as well which will generate some extra revenue and I’m scaling back on my purchases. I have an impulse problem when it comes to purchases, in case you hadn’t noticed. I can justify all kinds of things and it seems ok cause I’m not in debt.

But I want to do better than not in debt – I want to have a big, solid chunk of cash set aside in case I need it or want it (but especially if I need it). So, I’m telling all of you – cause then it becomes more real because other people know I’m working on it.

(Oh, there is that little fact that I’m about to start renovating my kitchen, so going to have to figure out how to balance this all out in light of that. Should be interesting.)

So, here we go…

21 Accents in Two Minutes

via socialreflections.com

Impressive & a great way for her to get her name/face/whatever out there.

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BusinessWeek clarifies impact of letting Bush tax cuts expire

The notoriously liberal magazine BusinessWeek just published an article titled “Most High Earners Wouldn’t Get Big Bill From Tax Rise”. Tells you a lot right there, eh? Here are some details from the article:

Under the Democrats’ plan to end a tax break for those earning more than $200,000 per individual or $250,000 per couple, the 3.8 million filers who fall in the $200,000 to $500,000 income range would pay $2 billion more in 2011 taxes, or an average of $532, according to a July 30 letter from the nonpartisan congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.

The July 30 study conducted for the House Ways and Means Committee shows that those earning between $200,000 and $500,000 would account for 5 percent of the planned $38 billion tax increase; the biggest burden would fall on the 608,000 taxpayers who make between $500,000 and $1 million and the 315,000 who earn more than $1 million. The first group would pay $6 billion more, or an average of $9,868, and the second group would owe $30 billion more, or $95,238 on average, the analysis said.

For those under $500,000, the tax increase is “relatively low,” said Roberton Williams, an economist with the Urban Institute in Washington who studied the report. “It’s less than 1 percent.”

One reason for the muted effect on those taxpayers, he said is that high-income Americans also reap built-in savings by retaining reduced rates that apply to lower-income categories. The top tax bracket doesn’t currently begin applying until taxable income after deductions exceed $372,950.

The bolding is me – not BusinessWeek. Refer your cranky friends & family to this article when they start in with you.

Newt Gingrich’s first wife speaks out

And exposes the hypocrisy in Esquire magazine. Here are some interesting quotes from the interview:

She sounds proud, defiant, maybe a little wistful. You might be inclined to think of what she says as the lament of an abandoned wife, but that would be a mistake. There is shockingly little bitterness in her, and she often speaks with great kindness of her former husband. She still believes in his politics. She supports the Tea Parties. She still uses the name Marianne Gingrich instead of going back to Ginther, her maiden name.

…

Back in the 1990s, she told a reporter she could end her husband's career with a single interview. She held her tongue all through the affair and the divorce and even through the annulment Gingrich requested from the Catholic Church two years later, trying to erase their shared past. Now she sits quietly for a moment, ignoring her eggs, trying to decide how far she wants to go.

…

He asked her to just tolerate the affair, an offer she refused. He'd just returned from Erie, Pennsylvania, where he'd given a speech full of high sentiments about compassion and family values.  The next night, they sat talking out on their back patio in Georgia. She said, "How do you give that speech and do what you're doing?"

"It doesn't matter what I do," he answered. "People need to hear what I have to say. There's no one else who can say what I can say. It doesn't matter what I live."

This is one seriously hysterical cat

I don’t feel like this about my job

really! But this cracked me up…

If you don't like gay marriage...

via 9gag.com

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Ted Stevens

Dead. (NY Times hasn’t updated it yet to show he’s been confirmed dead, but other news sources already have.)

He’s the former Senator from Alaska who said the Internet was a series of tubes. He was also kinda a right wing jerk. However, my sympathies go out to his friends and family. A plane crash is a terrible way to lose someone.

Are you in a dream (aka Inception)

If you haven’t seen this flick, I definitely recommend it. It’s one of those ones where I want to watch it again to clarify a few things in my mind.

Sarah Palin is sarcastic to an Alaskan non-supporter

She’s that horrible chick I hated in high school.

When the woman says something about Palin bailing out rather that fulfilling her duties as governor, SarahP’s response is “Oh thanks! You wanted me to be governor!”.

Ted Olson pwns Fox News’ Chris Wallace

He makes the most important distinction about the Prop 8 ruling (that I haven’t heard made before):

Yes, 7 million Californians voted in favor of Prop 8. However, majority vote does have the legal ability to remove constitutional rights from Americans. It’s not about how many people voted in favor – it’s about the rights granted to all Americans in the Constitution.

If a majority of people voted to not allow old white men to have free speech any more, it would be unconstitutional. If a majority of people voted that Mexican-Americans couldn’t own guns, that would be unconstitutional. And if it’s unconstitutional, it’s illegal. And that’s why it is the responsibility of the legal system to consider the evidence and make a decision – because they study the Constitution & it’s their job to interpret and rule on it.

Dummies.

Also, I’m so over friggin’ Barry Obama and his “I’m against same sex marriage but I support gay people” crap. Liar. I think he’s on our side & he’s saying what he believes or is being told is the politically correct answer to stay in power. Coward.  Stupid Democrats.

Same sex marriage

via dishliquid

Got Logic?

Teehee. From the Atlantic:

It seems likely that Conde Nast, the publisher of such magazines as The New Yorker, GQ and Vanity Fair, will be moving into the office tower currently being built on the site of the destroyed Twin Towers. This news is a terrible affront to all patriotic and freedom-loving Americans, and an insult to the memories of those murdered on September 11th, 2001. It is hard to believe that Mayor Michael Bloomberg would allow this company to despoil such a holy place.

Why is this an insult to the victims of 9/11? The answer, I think, is obvious. Among the titles published by Conde Nast is the fashion magazine Vogue. Vogue publishes an Italian edition. Italy, of course, was the incubator of fascism. The terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center were Islamofascists. I think the connection is clear.

It is not only the presence of Vogue at Ground Zero that is such an awful affront and insult. The Fairchild division of Conde Nast is the publisher of Women's Wear Daily. The initials of Women's Wear Daily are WWD. WWD sounds almost exactly like WMD. The Islamofascists who attacked our country on 9/11 are part of an Islamofascist movement that seeks to use WMD against Americans. Also, they want to use IEDs. IED also sounds like WWD, though not as much. Also, IED sounds like IUD, and many of the women-oriented magazines published by Conde Nast advocate the use of IUDs as a method of birth control. Those who advocate the use of IUDs cannot be allowed to sully the memories of the dead by building their headquarters on the site of Ground Zero.

Please join Newt Gingrich and me in protesting this highly insulting insult to the American people. I will continue to research the manifold connections between Conde Nast and Islamofascism, and will report back as soon as I establish more proof of this company's moral unfitness.

Jon Stewart’s take on the Prop 8 decision

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Californigaytion
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

At least the dissenters have a reasonable argument (oy)

Note the BYU hat – the Mormons just hate us. At least the evil Mormons do.

Oh, and the Constitution is just silly. And irrelevant when people vote. Or something like that.

Glenn Beck removes favorite Twitter posts including most recent from White Nationalist forum (whoops!)

Earlier this evening I noted that Glenn Beck had marked a Twitter post from a �White Nationalists� website as one of his favorites:

 

Beck (or the person controlling his official �verified� Twitter account) has no removed all of the Fox News host�s favorite posts:

h/t: @StopBeck

via mediamatters.org

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Social IM Client Digsby Finally Gets Group Chat Support

Social IM client Digsby is releasing a new version of its desktop client that includes a long overdue feature: group chat support.

The new update, which has just begun to roll out, focuses on three new features: a revamped LinkedIn interface, the addition of MySpace likes/dislikes and group chat support.

First, Digsby is taking advantage of LinkedIn’s new API with a revamped interface that allows users to comment and “like” status updates.

Digsby’s MySpace interface is also getting an update, adding “Like!” and “Dislike!” buttons in the stream. Since MySpace’s API doesn’t support liking or disliking though, Digsby had to build a workaround.

Group chat is by far the biggest of the new features, though. Users can now initiate group conversations in AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Yahoo Instant Messenger, MSN and Jabber by either clicking the room list button at the top of any IM window or by going to “New Group Chat” in the Digsby menu.

Digsby has been upping its social media integration in recent months, having created a unique Twitter client last year and beginning support for Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. The social IM client surpassed one million users last year.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, Kronick

---

I'm a big fan of Digsby as it allows me to log into several IM services (Gmail, AOL - sigh, Yahoo, etc.) simultaneously from a single client. The interface is simple & usable as well.

Don't tell me the sky's the limit

via silas216.tumblr.com

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Google and Verizon sign net neutrality agreement, begin the end of net neutrality?

It's been a bumpy road for net neutrality in the US, and the latest word on the subject, of a partnership between Verizon and Google, could result in American internet freedom taking one step forward and two steps back. Last year, the two companies said together that they were all for net neutrality regardless of the source being a traditional or wireless ISP. Now, according to Bloomberg, they may have changed their tune somewhat, striking a deal that, up front, prevents Verizon from gimping traffic it doesn't like on its DSL and FiOS networks.

That sounds good, but according to Politico the deal still allows Verizon to 'prioritize certain traffic' -- more or less defeating the whole purpose if true. More troublingly, Verizon is able to do whatever it wants when it comes to managing wireless broadband, through mobile hotspots or, indeed, the plethora of Android handsets it now offers. Mind you, neither company is coming forward to discuss these supposed plans (Google saying it has 'nothing to announce at this point') so this could all be much ado about nothing. We certainly hope it is, especially since we're talking about two companies who last year pledged they wanted to 'ensure the openness of the web around the world.'

Google and Verizon sign net neutrality agreement, begin the end of net neutrality? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:36:00 EDT.

Al Franken is so my favorite Senator

Among other things, he understands technology. Also, he wrote a book called “Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot”, which is kinda a classic. I’m also proud to say that I purchased the hardcover when it came out.

In this short speech, he gives a nice synopsis of what Net Neutrality is all about & potential dangers if it is not maintained. Without Net Neutrality, ISPs can prioritize certain websites so that they load nice and fast and others are stupidly slow. What if Rupert Murdoch owned an ISP – imagine if people could load the Fox “news” associated websites nice & fast but if you tried to go to the Huffington Post, it took forever to load…

If you’re interested, you can go to Savetheinternet website where there is a form you can fill out which will automatically write to your Senators & your Congressperson (mine’s a total schmuck) and let them know that you support Net Neutrality. Unfortunately, the way that politics seems to work today, the more people they hear from in support of an issue seems to have a big influence on how they vote on issues. 

Don’t be passive and then get pissed off when Congress does something stupid. Let them know what you think – they need & want your vote. Remember – they want money from corporations – but they need your vote cause ultimately, they want to stay in power and that requires a majority of votes. Spread the word to your friends…

And if they start sending you annoying emails, you can easily unsubscribe – they’re not spammers – they’ll listen to you when you tell them you’re not interested in receiving any more emails from them. Stand up for your rights and your future.

/soapbox

This cartoon pretty much covers international flying

A visual diary documenting a flight from New York to Berlin (with a layover in London).

via niemann.blogs.nytimes.com

Posted via email from amygeek's posterous

Wow. The NY Times is all about the gays getting married

I'm all happy about the Prop 8 ruling but am a bit anxious about what's going to happen when it ends up in the hands of Robert's Supreme Court. However, I do really appreciate some of the great things being said today by Schwarzenegger, David Boies and Ted Olsen (the two attorneys who represented the plaintiffs in the case).
But look at these excerpts from the NY Times:

The decision, though an instant landmark in American legal history, is more than that. It also is a stirring and eloquently reasoned denunciation of all forms of irrational discrimination, the latest link in a chain of pathbreaking decisions that permitted interracial marriages and decriminalized gay sex between consenting adults.

(You hear that Texas? Especially with the whole no sex toys thing. Spoilsports.)

The article continues with more good stuff:

The judge easily dismissed the idea that discrimination is permissible if a majority of voters approve it; the referendum’s outcome was “irrelevant,” he said, quoting a 1943 case, because “fundamental rights may not be submitted to a vote.”

He then dismantled, brick by crumbling brick, the weak case made by supporters of Proposition 8 and laid out the facts presented in testimony. The two witnesses called by the supporters (the state having bowed out of the case) had no credibility, he said, and presented no evidence that same-sex marriage harmed society or the institution of marriage.

...

One of Judge Walker’s strongest points was that traditional notions of marriage can no longer be used to justify discrimination, just as gender roles in opposite-sex marriage have changed dramatically over the decades. All marriages are now unions of equals, he wrote, and there is no reason to restrict that equality to straight couples. The exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage “exists as an artifact of a time when the genders were seen as having distinct roles in society and in marriage,” he wrote. “That time has passed.”

To justify the proposition’s inherent discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation, he wrote, there would have to be a compelling state interest in banning same-sex marriage. But no rational basis for discrimination was presented at the two-and-a-half-week trial in January, he said. The real reason for Proposition 8, he wrote, is a moral view “that there is something wrong with same-sex couples,” and that is not a permissible reason for legislation.

“Moral disapproval alone,” he wrote, in words that could someday help change history, “is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and women.”

Whole article here.

Prop 8 Ruling: The Facts

From Andrew Sullivan’s rocking blog (all comments are his, not mine):

Ambinder lists them:

Here are the relevant facts Walker finds:

1. Marriage is and has been a civil matter, subject to religious intervention only when requested by the intervenors.
 
2. California, like every other state, doesn't require that couples wanting to marry be able to procreate.

3. Marriage as an institution has changed overtime; women were given equal status; interracial marriage was formally legalized; no-fault divorce made it easier to dissolve marriages.

4. California has eliminated marital obligations based on gender.

5. Same-sex love and intimacy "are well-documented in human history."

6. Sexual orientation is a fundamental characteristic of a human being.

7. Prop 8 proponents' "assertion that sexual orientation cannot be defined is contrary to the weight of the evidence."

8. There is no evidence that sexual orientation is chosen, nor that it can be changed.

9. California has no interest in reducing the number of gays and lesbians in its population.

10. "Same-sex couples are identical to opposite-sex couples in the characteristics relevant to the ability to form successful marital union."

11. "Marrying a person of the opposite sex is an unrealistic option for gay and lesbian individuals."

12. "Domestic partnerships lack the social meaning associated with marriage, and marriage is widely regarded as the definitive expression of love and commitment in the United States.
The availability of domestic partnership does not provide gays and lesbians with a status equivalent to marriage because the cultural meaning of marriage and its associated benefits are intentionally withheld from same-sex couples in domestic partnerships."

13. "Permitting same-sex couples to marry will not affect the number of opposite-sex couples who marry, divorce, cohabit, have children outside of marriage or otherwise affect the
stability of opposite-sex marriages."

Remember, these are the FACTS that Walker has determined from the testimony and evidence. These facts will serve as the grounding for the legal arguments yet to come.

And, yes, they are facts. But they are also arguments, irrefutable arguments that yield only to the principle that change to an existing institution should be considered carefully and prudently. It's now 21 years since I first articulated the conservative case for marriage equality. Today, the compelling logic of the case reaches what can only be called an apotheosis.

via pheedcontent.com

 

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Okay, she’s got my vote

I agree that marijuana & prostitution should be legal & taxed. Also, she appears to have some brains. I’m not a huge fan of the huge lips, but she can string together a sentence way better than SarahP…